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The US suspends non-lethal aid to Syrian rebels after a US-supplied warehouse falls into the hands of extremist factions. Plus, Pope Francis re-brands Catholicism and earns Time's "Person of the Year." Also, a charitable foundation is the highest bidder for Hopi tribal masks and vows to return them to the Hopi Nation.

Stories in this Edition

China's atheistic communist rulers now say that certain religious beliefs are worth promoting for the sake of national development. Only a generation ago, nearly all forms of religious worship were essentially banned in China. The World's Matthew Bell toured a park in the Chinese city of Nanjing, where people seek help from "higher powers."

Updated

12/12/2013 - 8:00am

In Syria, Islamist rebels have joined forces, some Western aid is on hold, and a peace proponent from the Syrian opposition is missing. The BBC's Lyse Doucet describes what is happening with the civil war as winter sets in.

Time magazine has named Pope Francis "Person of the Year." He's the third Pope to have that distinction. Tom Reese, of the National Catholic Reporter, says, even though he hasn't been in office very long, he has rebranded Catholicism.

Brazilian supermodel Fernanda Lima has received a torrent of online abuse from Iranian soccer fans, following her appearance at last week's World Cup draw. Lima's dress was too revealing for Iranian TV, which interrupted the live program every time the cameras focused on the model — which was often.

Saeed Pourkay came to New York from his native Iran just a year before the Iranian revolution. He found work in the printing business, but a few years ago decided to chuck it all in. Why? He wanted to introduce New Yorkers to his favorite Persian comfort food, a soup called Asheh Reshteh.

South Africa changed dramatically when apartheid was abolished in 1990. But for many white South Africans, it was an unwelcome change. Producer Andrea Crossan of PRI's The World visited Johannesburg in 1999 and was tutored in white fears.